Darn Flowering Trees

[Hound dog]

I love spring, I truly do. But this year it's getting the better of me thanks to the gawd awful allergies. I have issues every year when the trees with the lovely white flowers (very popular here in town so they are EVERYWHERE) are blooming. I love them, they nearly kill me. ugh

This year is BAD. I usually have issues but zyrtec takes care of it pretty much. Yeah, not so much this year. So I dunno if it is something OTHER than those trees that has me going as well.

But I lean my head down and there is the watery niagra falls thing which drives me nuts because there is no warning so you just don't have a tissue at hand of course. There is the itchy burning eyes, the drainage down the back of the throat that chokes me, the wheezing in the chest, the coughing to the point where I sound like I'm at death's door (from the draining down the back of the throat). It's even gotten to the point where I actually feel "sick" some days. Oh, and mustn't forget the migraines when I thought "oh the weather is lovely time to smoke outside to help me cut back some more". Two days of those and I realized easy child's neighbor has 2 of said trees in her yard in full bloom.

I took a allergy pill before venturing out to shop with easy child at drug stores this evening. I might as well have not taken one because it didn't do squat. I could barely breathe by the time we got home so I took another. An hour later I can breathe again and I'm not coughing. Eyes are still itchy and sort of burning though. And there is still the water works when I put my head down, just not as bad.

Oh, and not thinking I walked near the floral dept in kroger and omg it set me off again. geez

So I'm guessing the pollen must be really high this year?? Man I hope those trees don't keep their blooms very long.

 

[InsaneCdn]

{{hugs}}
Ours was about to hit... getting the edge of something for K1, K2 and me...
But... the weatherman is coming to our rescue (briefly) with a good 6-inch dump of snow in the forecast... which should buy us another couple of weeks. Once the poplars start, though, we're in for a good (bad?) six weeks.

I hate that raw-throat stage... it just <deleted> ... well, it just is NOT where you want to be. Me neither!

 

[DammitJanet]

Its killing me too. Wisteria is everywhere he and I go crazy when its out. That and ragweed.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Lisa,
the lovely whites are the flowering pears - they are gorgeous.

My difficult child has seasonal allergies and this year has been particularly tough. He takes the generic zyrtec (BJs) and begins taking it at the beginning of March to get a decent block started. This year, it wasn't as effective. Apparently the grass pollen is particularly early this year and partying with the tree pollen! What I did that helped difficult child is to have him take his pill every morning as soon as we wakes and to add a generic antihistamine every 12 hours (he does not take the zyrtec D that has it in there already). You can only take the allergy pill every 24 hours but the anti he can take every 12. Definitely is helping this year - still suffers, but it takes the severe edge off.

Good luck!

Sharon

 

[1905]

I heard it's supposed to be reaaly bad this year, keep loads of tissues with you!

 

[AnnieO]

Uhhhh... This year I've had barely any problems... Which is weird...

Lisa, can you take Benadryl at all? If it knocks you out, take it before bed. I've have tons of luck with that... It knocks husband out but at least he can breathe so he sleeps. It doesn't knock me, Jett or Onyxx out, works great - but Onyxx says it makes her hallucinate (considering the last time she had it she was doing drugs too... Who knows)...

 

[hearts and roses]

I had to go see my allergist. I take two generic claritin a day, a nasal spray (two shots up the nose), eye drops and lots of tissues!

Try taking two loratadine (generic claritin) instead of the zyrtec. For me, it is more effective and doesn't make me tired. You can get them cheap at walmart.

I love the springtime, but this year is crazy and they predict it will be one of the worst on record due to lower than normal winter temps.

 

[hearts and roses]

Uhhhh... This year I've had barely any problems... Which is weird...

Lisa, can you take Benadryl at all? If it knocks you out, take it before bed. I've have tons of luck with that... It knocks husband out but at least he can breathe so he sleeps. It doesn't knock me, Jett or Onyxx out, works great - but Onyxx says it makes her hallucinate (considering the last time she had it she was doing drugs too... Who knows)...

When you're pregnant, your hormones act differently than when your not...it makes sense that you're not having a bad reaction. As for onyxx hallucinating...ummm, I do and so does difficult child-HORRIBLE on benadryl, can't take that or many other OTC medications because the reaction is so severe. Lol, poor kid.

 

[AnnieO]

Interestingly... I have bad allergies, husband has worse and Jett is the king in our house. Onyxx has never had much in the way of allergies.

This year, Onyxx is having allergy issues, but me, husband and Jett aren't... Go figure!

Oh, and I'll take the flowering trees and trade you two with those stupid bean pods...

 

[Hound dog]

Benedryl gives me major hives. Lucky me.

I guess I'll try taking the zyrtec twice a day then. If that doesn't work.......I'll have to do a switch. I avoid claritin because it's "supposedly" harder on the kidneys than the zyrtec, same with the other one that starts with an A that I can't think of the name this morning.

I forgot I also worked in the flower garden out front with Darrin and Brandon yesterday, which mean I was pulling weeds. ugh

For now, I think I'm going to walk around with one of those small tissue pack things in my pocket and purse. I got some for free a while back........I just have to remember where I put them. lol

 

[AnnieO]

Nose plugs help at all?

Um, Benadryl is supposed to relieve hives, not give them to you. I have a friend that cannot take it due to the red dye - THAT gives HER hives - but the Benadryl works for her allergies (if she can find it without the pink! LOL)... It doesn't help her hives though...

 

[hearts and roses]

I guess I'll try taking the zyrtec twice a day then. If that doesn't work.......I'll have to do a switch. I avoid claritin because it's "supposedly" harder on the kidneys than the zyrtec, same with the other one that starts with an A that I can't think of the name this morning. For now, I think I'm going to walk around with one of those small tissue pack things in my pocket and purse. I got some for free a while back........I just have to remember where I put them. lol

Allegra. Interesting about the claritin effects on the kidneys-didn't know that. I hope you find relief!

 

[Hound dog]

doctor didn't know which ingredient set me off. But I get severe hives from it.........even in my mouth and throat. I was warned not to take it in any form just in case. And that was a hellish enough 2 wks that I won't ever take it again. ugh

It's an uncommon allergy, but not unheard of. I've yet to run across another person with it so far. And I get weird looks from medical staff when they have to list it.

 

[donna723]

If the red dye in the Benadryl tablets is a problem, they now also make it in extended release form that is in a green and white capsule. I saw it when I was looking for the regular pink Benadryl tablets that I give to one of my dogs every day for her allergies. I can't really take it myself except at bedtime because it knocks me right out too. It always amazes me how my 22 pound dog can take it and still be her rowdy, hyper little self but when I take it, I get so sleepy that I can't keep my eyes open!

 

[Tiapet]

We have 2 big Braeburn Pear trees in our front lawn and yes, they are abundant all around the area. They are beautiful when flowering (but smell awful, kids have a name for the smell I will not repeat). Now the flowers are all gone on most all of them since there has been so much wind and storms to blow them all off.

 

[susiestar]

I completely understand how you feel. Lilac does it to me, forsythia to my mom but not as bad. We cannot open windows AT ALL this time of year because thank you and I are SOOO BAD. thank you has it all year though - there is always something causing this for him. We pay extra to the electric co because we will NOT make it hrder for him by keepng the wndows open. We had to buy a battery operated nebulizer when he was little just to let him go to the zoo or a park in the spring, summer and fall.

There are a lot of antihistamines that we don't hear/think of because they are older medications. Most are at least somewhat sedating, but they work better for some people. These are not all sold as allergy medications but they DO work as antihistamines. Phenergan (generic is promethazine) is rx'd for nausea but is an antihistamine. It is sold in England as an OTC allergy medication. Meclizne, sold OTV as Bonine or Antivert, is sold as an anti motion sickness/dizziness medication but is an antihistamine. Dramamine is dimenhydrinate, an antihistamne. Some other OTV antihistamines that we don't take as often are chlorpheniramine, sold at chlortrimeton or triaminic orange syrup, and clemastine, sold as Tavist.

It can sometimes be tough to find these sold alone, but if you read the ingredients in varous cold/flu/etc... combo medications you can find them. Or you can order them online. thank you didn't react well to the newer allergy medications, so our allergy doctor told us to keep trying the older ones until we found one that worked.

Hopefully you can find one that is helpful, Lisa. I have found that if I stay on the allergy medications 24/7 as directed, I have far fewer allergy induced migraines.